LOS ANGELES >> Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda was nowhere to be found. A pinch hitter, Logan Forsythe, had taken his spot in the on-deck circle. Trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by a run, the Dodgers had two runners on base with two outs. Maeda’s day appeared to be over after four innings.
And then, suddenly, it was not.
Maeda ran out of the dugout and battled Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha for seven pitches. On the last pitch, Maeda stuck out his bat and somehow tapped a curveball inside the foul line into left field. Both runners scored, the Dodgers took a one-run lead they would not relinquish, and Maeda ensured his status as the winning pitcher in a 7-3 Dodgers victory.